Let’s talk about how I didn’t intend to do that. May 26, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Just Bizarre.Tags: Japan, Japanese, jet, middle school, spring term, technology is not my friend, The Awesome Vice Principal
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So, this week has not been the best of weeks for my relationship with machines. Computers, copiers, faxes, printers, cell phones, iPods ~ I must be surrounded by some kind of strange wave, because any time I’ve gone near any and all of those objects something Unfortunate has happened. I admit that I’m invoking a bit of the “Murphy’s Law Mentality” at present, but probability has not been in my favor this week. I have a trail of maintenance receipts to prove it.
(Not that I’ve had to pay to resolve these problems [at least at school] mind you, but there is definitely a connection.)
So, imagine my utter delight when the middle school was the proud recipient of a brand new, super-high-tech-and-shiny copier this week. I can’t properly express how overjoyed I was to see the demon and garden gnome harboring hunk of plastic and nightmares wheeled out of the teachers room forever. I had a brief flashback to the scene in Charades when the three antagonists come into the church to confirm that Audrey Hepburn’s husband is really dead. I, too, wanted to make loud noises and poke the copier with sharp objects – just to be sure that it would stay away for good.
That was kind of a disturbing reference, wasn’t it? I apologize – it’s been a long week.
What was even better about the new copier was that the guys installing it were able to deftly navigate my laptop’s grumbly and stubborn nature to configure it so that I could print to it. I haven’t been able to directly print at the middle school in over two years and so I was pleased at the prospect of not always having to email documents to myself and print them from the public staff room computer.
Yesterday, during the morning teacher’s meeting, the Awesome Vice Principal gave us a small speech about the new copier, reiterating some advice/instructions that we’d heard the day before. He also cautioned us to use it as sparingly as possible, because we still in fact have other printers available in the staff room. I felt as though he might have been directing that comment at me, because I did go just a little printer happy on Monday afternoon (instant access will do that to a girl). So, I solemnly swore to follow the laws of moderation (or even temperance!) in all things printer-related.
But remember, there is some kind of battle going on between the countries of Julie and Technology.
I was foiled the first time when, after emailing a document to the public computer, I tried to print a document from the regular printer. Unfortunately, as I soon discovered, the settings on the computer had been changed and so that it automatically printed to the copier.
So much for temperance.
The Awesome Vice Principal arched his eyebrow at me when I went to retrieve my newly printed items.
“I didn’t intend to do that,” I assured him.
“Uh…huh,” he replied.
The next issue came later on in the day, when (in a rush to get something finished before my next class) I made the same mistake and this time didn’t specify that I didn’t want to print the document in color. I’d used a lot of pictures and so it was an absolutely gorgeous (aaaaand expensive) document when it finally finished printing. At the copier.
If it is possible for somebody to sneak up to a copier in the middle of a staff room and not be seen then I am not aware of how one would do this. The Awesome Vice Principal certainly saw me.
“I really didn’t mean to do that.”
“Right.”
The third time happened after school. This time, I feel as though the Universe was toying with me. I remembered my earlier transgressions, went into the computer’s options and changed the printer that I wanted to use. I was proud. Pleased with myself, even. This time, technology and I were surely communicating.
Except we weren’t. Because in the time since I’d last used the computer, somebody (probably The Awesome Vice Principal) had changed the automatic settings on the computer back to the original printer. So I’d directed the document to be printed from … the copier. I guess I need to learn the different printer numbers.
I practically crawled to the copier this time, highly aware of and attuned to each line of text in my 12-page (color) document.
“I didn’t-”
“-intend to do that. Yes, Julie. We know.”
Lucky for me, I don’t have just a Vice Principal at the middle school. I have an Awesome Vice Principal. At this point, he also understood that the Universe was not working with me. He was laughing, and the sound of that laughter made my day.
I’ve been funny, I’ve been cool with the lines
Ain’t that the way love’s supposed to be?
Back from my vacation before taking a vacation. April 29, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Apologies, Culinary Pursuits, Cultural Exchange, Student Moments.Tags: elementary students, feijoada, hannah montana, hermione, Japan, jet, kanemoto, my #1 fan, new first years, recaps and apologies, spring term, The Awesome Vice Principal, The Japanese Best Friend
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And, we’re back. I think. I hope.
I apologize for suddenly dropping off the face of the Blogsphere for about a week. My workload suddenly and severely increased last week and then I’ve been sick for most of this week. We can thank one of my extremely overzealous and somewhat unhealthy students for giving me a lovely bacterial infection last Friday. Thankfully, it seems to be gone now.
I wish I had more to report besides work and illness, but that’s more or less been my life for the past week. The school year is picking up in earnest and I am met with an abundance of English enthusiasm from my students no matter where I turn. This is a good thing, though. I am not complaining. I’ve worked very hard for a very long time to convince these children that Foreign Language is Fun! It’s about time that I get to enjoy the fruits of my labors.
So, I suppose that I’m behind on memories here. My last post was April 20th, so I need to account for the last nine days. That’s a fairly substantial task, so we’d best be getting to it.
1) I went on a field trip with my first year middle school students. We made butter, spoke in English, and drove the home room teachers crazy. I had a lot of fun talking with Kanemoto, who tried to establish a line of credit as far as my English Reward system is concerned. It seems that I am going to have to take a course in micro and macro economics in order to run things efficiently.
2) I met my new first year students at Thursday’s elementary school and it was Love At First Sight. This is the first class I’ve ever encountered where the entire group has come to play with me during lunch time – and they want to play in ENGLISH. We haven’t even had class together yet, and they already know how to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.
3) Last week, I got an unholy number of letters from the students at Friday’s elementary school. And the new year finally begins in earnest.
4) Saturday was rainy. I may or may not have been homesick. I made brownies and watched movies. Then I went out and saw Alice in Wonderland at the movie theater. This movie made me exceptionally happy because of the rampant Jabberwocky references. I guess the 23rd/24th was the weekend when most of my students went to see Alice as well, because my second years (who you may recall had to memorize the Jabberwocky last year) were Very Excited that they Got the References to the Poem. And in this way, an honest-to-goodness English teacher was born.
5) I cleaned on Sunday. And made this soup! My father and I really like Brazilian food, and so it was his idea to make feijoada (black beans and pork soup). It was one of our better ideas – I really enjoyed it!
6) On Monday, my second year students and I discussed the Jabberwocky. Kanemoto also followed me around most of the day so that he could speak English and get more money. I also got a ridiculous number of letters from my first year students. The students’ enthusiasm is good. Very good. Very, very good as a matter of fact.
7) Tuesday I was at Thursday’s elementary school because of a schedule change. We were supposed to go on a small field trip, but the weather was rainy and so it was postponed. Things worked out rather well, though, because I had more time to get to know the new first year students. One again, the entire class (all nineteen students) came to talk to me during recess and we had a lot of loud, giggly, ridiculous fun.
8) This was a particularly entertaining day. During the lunch break, Hannah Montana, Hermione, Kanemoto, My #1 Fan, and some other students all gathered around me to speak English (and get Julie Money). Hannah Montana and I were in rare form, and just about everything that happened was very loud and very funny. Lucky for me, despite the excessive volume, The Awesome Vice Principal did not get mad at me (this time).
9) On Saturday morning, The Japanese Best Friend and I are heading up to Tokyo for a few days. We’ve decided to save money by driving instead of taking the train, and so we’re preparing for this venture by stocking up on movies and snacks. To this end, Thursday baking zucchini bread, shopping for supplies, and trying to get organized.
And, that’s a very quick rundown of what’s been going on. I apologize (once again…) for the sudden breakdown in communication. Hopefully we’ll be back on track next week!
On a journey to the stars
Far below, we leave forever
Dreams of what we were
Tuesdays Begin and End with ICE CREAM April 6, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in ice cream, Student Moments.Tags: Aphrodite, avril, changes, clemente, elementary school, first years, hannah montana, hermione, ice cream, Japan, jet, meetings, new student ceremony, penelope, spring term, The Awesome Vice Principal, The Mentor
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Ice cream is definitely the theme we’re working with for Tuesday’s “memory to cherish forever.” Not only is it impossible for me to choose just one meaningful moment out of so many, but in the afternoon, The Awesome Vice Principal (in an action true to form) surprised the staff room with delicious soft cream and Popsicles.
So, let’s get started. ICE CREAM.
~ I really enjoyed seeing my new first year students, and was very proud when they officially matriculated. I think that they were happy to see a familiar face at the middle school, and I was able to help them with small bits of etiquette and direction throughout the morning. It’s nice to know that they trust me, and that I can assist them through this transition.
~ There were lots of opportunities to interact with my 2nd and 3rd years, too. I spent some quality time with Hannah Montana, The Child, Penelope, Avril, Aphrodite, Clemente, and Hermione. Listening to their opinions about school politics and gossip is one of the best parts of my job.
~ Speaking of Clemente, he said one of the nicest things to me during one of the mid-morning breaks. Every class year is assigned a home room teacher and a sub-home room teacher. They take care of class planning and various administrative tasks. He told me that the third years thought I would be assigned as their sub-HRT and that they were really disappointed when I wasn’t. I explained that my position as an ALT keeps me from doing things like that, but I was touched by the thought. As I’ve said in the past, little comments like that one make me happy.
~ After all of the students had gone home, the middle school staff dragged tables and chairs outside and we had a huge picnic lunch underneath the cherry blossom trees. The weather was absolutely perfect for it, too: warm and sunny with a slight breeze. The new school nurse is a really funny lady, and she declared the dessert platter the property of the female staff members and told the men that they’d have to pay rock-paper-scissors with us if they wanted anything from it. With stunts like that one, I can tell that she and I are going to be friends.
~ In the afternoon, I had a really nice meeting with The Mentor at Thursday’s elementary school. As I previously surmised, not a whole lot is changing about my schedule this year (despite the heart attack and nervous breakdown that my town’s administration gave me last February). I will still (more or less) be teaching the first through fourth years. The only real change from last year is that I’ll be teaching the fifth and sixth grades once a week, and so that increases my class load a bit. I’m not really worried about it, though. I have a feeling that things will work out fine.
~ A final memory from yesterday that I’d like to hold on to happened just before I left to go home. After we’d finished our ice cream, Apollonius invited us to the lunchroom so that he could show us how to use the new electronic Smart Board that our school just bought. It’s an electronic whiteboard that connects to computers, televisions, projectors… just about anything really. We spent about half an hour looking at its various features, and even took about ten minutes to play a game using Japanese kanji. Running back and forth to this blackboard to win points for my team was surprisingly fun. I liked how this rounded out the events of the day, and put many things into perspective. We’re all here to learn – even the teachers – and we’re supposed to do anything we can to help each other in this process. I like being a part of a team that takes this task seriously.
Wednesday will be the first day that the students are in school during the mostly-normal hours, although the first years will go home early. I’m sure I’ll have more than a few memories to regale you with when all is said and done. I anticipate a lot of very loud, very spastic interactions.
I’m a friend by your side
Never gonna be alone
This post is about fire and potatoes. March 23, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Culinary Pursuits, Student Moments.Tags: bad moods, campfire, cooking potatoes, Japan, Japanese, redemption, The Awesome Vice Principal, The Child, unnecessary references to literature, yakiimo
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As you know, my intention with this blog is to convey to you (in the most honest and heartfelt way possible) what my life is like after living in Japan for almost four years. Therefore, I am going to be both honest and heartfelt with the following declaration.
I woke up today in a foul mood.
How foul was this mood? My very first physical act upon opening my eyes was to take my stuffed dog, Henry (my faithful companion for the last twenty-five years whose head is thisclose to detaching from his poor, misshapen body) and throw him at the wall. My cell phone, pillows, and alarm clock soon followed.
To say that I was angry that I had to get up is putting it mildly. Quite frankly, I was furious that the earth had rotated so that the odious and offensive state known as “dawn” was made possible. I scowled through my breakfast. Scowled through my shower. I grumbled at my students when I got to school and hissed out some form of greeting to my coworkers. When I finally sat down at my desk, I sighed with relief, safe in the knowledge that I only had one class for the day. I then set up my computer, determined to spend the rest of my time wrapped in a safe cocoon deep within the realms of Microsoft Word.
This plan was foiled. Thoroughly.
When I walked into the teacher’s room, I neglected to look at the schedule for the day. Imagine my surprise when The Awesome Vice Principal announced that the schedule had changed, and that the students would be going on a small excursion during first and second period. The plan was for them to go to a nearby campground and cook potatoes and sweet potatoes in a campfire.
After the morning meeting was finished, the other teachers (bless them for approaching my dower and sinister person) invited me to go along with them and the students. Gazing outside at the cold wind and the dark clouds heavy with rain, I somehow managed to politely accept the invitation. Turning back to my computer, I (wisely and maturely) seethed against all Those Who Would Disturb My Peace. The very thought of happy children and freshly cooked sweet potatoes only annoyed me.
Still, before the first period bell finished ringing, I was standing outside with my students and huddling with some of the second years against the cold. The walk to the campgrounds did me good and I began to see, through my Fog of Irrationality, that I was being ridiculous. Shaking off the fog required the work of setting up campfires and joking with The Child. By the time the potatoes were cooking, I had calmed down substantially and was no longer entertaining myself by assigning random people to appropriate terraces in Dante’s purgatory.
What really turned my mood around, though, was a task I found for myself while the students were playing Kanji Trivia games. The cooking method for these potatoes was quite simple: they were washed, wrapped in newspaper, wrapped in tinfoil, and tossed into an open flame. We had two large campfires going at once, and I think that we cooked about a hundred potatoes. As the potatoes finished cooking, the teachers reached into the fire with metal tongs and pulled them out. We tested to make sure that they were finished (by poking them with the end of a chopstick), and then set them aside for the students.
I’m not sure why, but pulling piping hot potatoes out of a raging fire with metal tongs was just the therapy I needed. I can’t quite remember the last time I had so much fun. It was smokey, hot, semi-dangerous work. My eyes burned, my face turned red, I got two small blisters on my right hand, and I smell like someone who’s been tagging along with Russian gypsies. All the same, I reveled in this task and kept at it for nearly forty-five minutes. Working with the science teacher, we developed an efficient and relatively safe method for retrieving these potatoes. It made a great story to share with the rest of the staff later on in the day.
Objectively speaking, I do believe that I was handsomely rewarded for my efforts. Not only did I get to eat healthy, warm, and fresh sweet potatoes (with butter!!), but I also had the added bonus of getting my humanity back. I’m not exactly sure where it went last night while I was sleeping, but I’m hoping it decides to stick around for a while.
Through it all I’ve made my mistakes
I stumble and fall
But I mean these words
Well, they’re gone. March 9, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Julie Gets Philosophical, Student Moments.Tags: graduation week, Japan, Macho Man, Mary Sunshine, The Awesome Vice Principal, the boss, The Savant, too much rain, toshiki's sister, winter term
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After months of anticipation and weeks of volatile emotions all around, today thirty-one students received their diplomas at my middle school. The weather was perhaps fitting for the occasion, although in my opinion it was too heavy-handed to be artistically ironic. It poured the entire day. Cold, wet, windy rain that made sitting in the unheated gym for two hours rather miserable. Still, it was what it was and we made the best of it.
Middle school graduations in small Japanese towns are perhaps more of an occasion than they are in larger towns (in Japan or elsewhere). These students have been together for a long time – many of them for nine years, and the class size is small enough so that they certainly know each other well. They’ve studied the same subjects, had the same teachers, gone on the same trips, and participated in the same clubs. This ceremony isn’t just an end to compulsory education, but it’s also a significant break with childhood. From here, everyone will scatter to different high schools, some in completely different towns or even (as with one of my students) different prefectures.
It’s not suprising that everyone – boys and girls, teachers, parents, and students – cry at these ceremonies.
Still, my third years are happy and positive by nature and they weathered through the emotional roller coaster rather well. After the ceremony, we spent a great deal of time reminiscing and taking pictures. Once everyone left, I enjoyed a lovely lunch with the other female teachers. Tomorrow we’ll find out which teachers will stay at the school for another year and which ones will be transferred, and so that was the Hot Topic of conversation.
For my part, I seem to be doing well enough. This is my fourth graduation and I think that I am starting to become used to the process. This class was particularly dear to me; I’ve known them since they were in sixth grade and, as you all know, we were close.
I can’t possibly pick only one moment from the day to focus on, so let’s make use of ICE CREAM.
~ Toshiki’s Sister gave me a lovely letter thanking me for teaching her English and asking me to help her if she ever visits the States. This was unexpected, and a very sweet gesture. She is someone that I’m sure will eventually make several international trips – that lifestyle will suit her – and I would welcome the opportunity to assist her.
~ Mary Sunshine took me aside with her father, told him I was one of her best friends and reiterated that we would train together this summer. She’s going to be the most difficult student for me to let go of – we really did spend a lot of time together and she was the one that I felt the most comfortable around.
~ The Boss finally forgave me for every wrong I’ve ever done him. Granted, I’m still not sure what these wrongs were, but at least I know that I won’t have to suffer some sort of Boss-inspired Purgatory at some point.
~ The Savant told me that he would “always remember [me], even when [he is] thirty years old”. Since this figure is roughly double his current age, I feel that this is indeed a profound declaration.
~ Macho Man took several pictures with me where we flexed our muscles. I so badly want to make a T-shirt out of one of them saying something to the effect of: YES. WE ARE MACHO.
~ Even though I mixed up some parent-child relationships, the parents were very forgiving. (Sometimes children really don’t look like their parents. -_-; )
~ Last, but certainly not least, I really appreciated The Awesome Vice Principal letting me go home a little early today. It was obvious that I was under the weather, and sitting in a cold and dreary staff room was not Where I Wanted To Be. He told me that I could take tomorrow off too, if I wished, but I plan to go in anyway. Thursday is going to be a busy day at the elementary school and I have a lot of things to prepare for my sixth years on Friday.
Now that this graduation is over with, we’re in the home stretch. I really don’t have more than a couple of handfuls of classes before the winter term ends and the spring one beings.
Just now, I was reflecting a little on that last sentence, about beginnings and endings, and I recalled something from the principal’s graduation speech. In his speech, he talked about how in English, we often call graduation ceremonies “commencement ceremonies,” because the idea is that the school is sending the graduates off into the world. I particularly like the way that he phrased this part of the speech; the image was very clear and powerful. It made me think about the places that I’ve gone to after my various commencement ceremonies, and the ways in which different parts of my life prepared me for those journeys.
I suppose this concept of learning and then being “sent off” to do something is rather timeless. However, it also strikes me as somewhat a product of our global age. There does seem to be a growing need for people to leave their homes to go and see new things. Sometimes we return, sometimes we keep traveling, sometimes we settle someplace completely new and unexpected. It’s the responsibility that we gave to our students this morning, and it’s a responsibility that I’ve been trying to fulfill for the last four years.
When I think about today’s events from this perspective, I don’t feel quite as sad as I did before. My former-third years and I – we’re both out in the world now, seizing new opportunities and experiences away from where we started. It’s undoubtedly the way that things are supposed to be. Our separation is not something to mourn about – it’s an opportunity to rejoice. Given the option, I choose to do the latter and to wish them all well on their journeys.
I’m gonna live my life like there’s no one to blame
Wasting time is a crying shame
土日曜日Recap January 17, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Enkai Aftermath, Just Bizarre, Weekend Recap.Tags: enkai, galileo, Japan, math and science, The Awesome Vice Principal, The Savant, Weekend Recap, winter term
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I think that, finally, I’m starting to settle down and get back into the swing of things here. As I pointed out before, transitioning back into my routine after being in the States for two weeks has been more than a little challenging this time around. Perhaps there is a formula involved in my adjustment process. You know, something like:
For Situations Where Number of Days in Japan < 250
Number of Days in the States + Number of Days in Japan + 2 bottles of wine + 5 hours with my students
= Adjustment Period Needed After a Roundtrip Visit Home
But, for Situations Where Number of Days in Japan > 250, we’d have to use the formula:
Number of Days in the States + Number of Days in Japan + 5 bottles of wine + 25 hours with my students
+ shopping binge with The Japanese Best Friend
+ shopping spree on Foreign Food Store websites + 2 new cultural obsessions
= Adjustment Period Needed After a Roundtrip Visit Home
The next time I make that trip, I’ll take notes and let you guys know what the results are. I could be on to something big here.
This weekend was, generally speaking, productive. My middle school had classes on Saturday so that the parents could come and watch the fifth period lesson. Sunday was spent trying to finish tying up loose ends. Unfortunately, thanks to that lovely two-day meeting last week, I’m still behind on work and I’m going to have to move the heavens and earth over the next five days to meet all of my deadlines. I’m not sure if this is going to interfere with my posting, so I apologize if I miss a couple of days. I will, at the very least, attempt to throw up links to random bits of Japanese culture for your perusal. (Although I am arguably not an expert on the subject.)
So, moving on to memories!
As I mentioned just a moment ago, I was at my middle school on Saturday. This wasn’t exactly exciting, but I did have a chance to get a lot of work done, and (as always) I enjoyed seeing my students. I spent some time with the first years, and they told me that they’ve been practicing The Jabberwocky, so they think they’ll do really well on Wednesday’s speaking check. For my part, I’m just happy that they don’t seem to hate me right now, and that they like the poem. It so easily could have gone the other way.
The specific memory that I want to keep from Saturday happened in the evening. After we finished all of the lessons and the afternoon lectures about safe cell phone use, six of the teachers and 13 parents got together for dinner, drinking, and karaoke. I got to sit next to The Awesome Vice Principal during dinner, and we had a really interesting conversation. It was probably the longest that I’ve ever spoken with him, and we touched on a variety of topics, including his travel experiences (which are quite extensive) and my plans for when I return to the States. This was also the night that I announced to the PTA that I would be staying for a fifth year, and so that topic had some air time as well.
Returning briefly to The Awesome Vice Principal, at one point we discussed a trip to Canada that he took a few years ago. His daughter was studying there at the time, and so it was a chance for the family to get together. I guess Niagara Falls made an impression on him, because to this day he still has it as the background picture on his cell phone. I’m not really sure where I’m going with this; I guess it just had an effect on me. I thought that it was quite fantastic, actually. Maybe I’m so used to being The International Thing in my town, that I become absurdly happy when I see people showcasing the international threads that run through their own life’s tapestries. It’s kind of a way for me to say, “See? See? What I’m doing isn’t that unusual. You do it, too! Okay, well, maybe you don’t pick up and move over 8,000 miles away from your native land and people… but you do have an interest in foreign affairs!”
So, Saturday was, all in all, a great night.
Sunday was not quite what I’d planned it to be. My plans for Supreme Accomplishments fell a bit short, and I spent a great part of the day cooking and watching DVD versions of literature classics (Persuasion, Hamlet, and, of course, The Reduced Shakespeare Company). I guess winter really is the season for reading epic books (or watching their dramatized versions). Because I had so many things that I was bringing back with me from the States, I had to leave some things with my dad to be shipped later. Among these was my copy of Anna Karenina, and I’ll be honest and say that I miss it terribly.
Where was I? Oh, yes. Sunday’s memory. I feel kind of silly about this, especially since I’m going to be writing about this subject right after a paragraph that praises the act of reading English classics, but … well … okay.
It’s time to introduce a new character.
Introducing: Galileo
Galileo is my new pet. He’s orange, round, and I like to throw him at the walls of my apartment to encourage the creative process. He was a birthday present from The Savant, which is to say that I saw The Savant throwing him down the hallway at school, stole him, and then asked if I could keep him as a birthday present. Since The Savant has been promising me a birthday present for about a week now, he agreed.
Galileo is a small, orange, rubber bouncy ball. He and I spent a lot of time together on Sunday because I was brainstorming about different projects that I have to do this week.
I figure that people have pet rocks, so why not a pet rubber ball? I’m not allowed to have animals in my apartment, and there are too many rocks around here for me to just pick one to love and cherish. Besides, Galileo is quite helpful. He and I have played catch several times during the last hour so that I might write the clearest and most well-rounded post for you. He is obedient and well-behaved; he always obeys the law of inertia, he never challenges my force with his mass or acceleration, and he always comes back when I throw him. Additionally, I don’t need to walk him, and I only caught him chewing on the cables once.
Okay, so now that I’ve completely overwhelmed myself with all of this talk of math and science, it’s time to wrap things up for now.
Have a great week!
Better Late Than Never: December 22nd January 10, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Japanese GET.Tags: Aunt Mia, birthday, clemente, cooking, fall term, Japan, my japanese sister, penelope, The Awesome Vice Principal, The Child, The Savant
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Welcome back!
I have another post that I want to write regarding my trip back to the States, but before I get to that, I think that we should go back and examine the last day of the second semester: December 22nd. Already a fantastic and noteworthy day in its own right (*coughit’smybirthdaycough*), it was particularly chaotic because:
a) I was up until 2 o’clock in the morning baking cookies and getting dough ready for
b) the three-hour cookie baking extravaganza, which was slightly interrupted by
c) a quick trip to Thursday’s elementary school so that I could deal with a student who thought it would be a good idea to steal some prizes from me, but this didn’t ruin the day for me since
d) I got to give all my middle school students the cookies that I made in (b), and there was much rejoicing, which gave me enough energy for
e) all the preparations I had to do for my trip on the 23rd (think: mass shopping and packing), which were only slightly complicated by
f) a visit in the evening from My Japanese Sister, who gave me a lovely birthday gift and who was followed by
g) Aunt Mia and her mother, who wanted to stop by my apartment (also with birthday tribute) and so that we could have tea, cookies, and a chat
Still with me? Okay, good.
The 22nd was one of those days where it seemed as though I had to be everywhere at once. I like these kinds of days, because interesting things happen and you need to think on your feet. My memories from this day are kind of hazy at this point, but even now a few moments stand out.
~ The Savant, upon receiving his Christmas cookies, telling me in a very loud voice: “THANK YOU. I RESPECT YOU. I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE A VERY NICE JULIE.”
~ The Child deciding to sneak into the kitchen throughout the morning (although the students were expressly forbidden to do so) so that he could comment on my music (mostly the Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and attempt to steal cookies. He stayed around in the early part of the afternoon, and we chatted while I cleaned up the kitchen.
~ Penelope and Clemente going to great lengths to thank me for the cookies and encouraging their classmates to do the same. It was quite cute.
~ The Awesome Vice Principal sneaking in during the morning to taste test the cookies. He also let me leave school early so that I could get some shopping done, and I was very grateful for that.
And so forth.
The evening visits were also lovely memories, but they were kind of stressful, too, seeing as I had a lot to do to get ready for my trip. I found it odd (and, actually, I still find it odd), that while normally I never have people swing by my house to chat, people felt the need to do this on the night before I was to leave for a big vacation. Granted, it *was* my birthday, but still.
I’m not really complaining about the slight inconvenience, though. It was a fitting end to a very social and chaotic day. I suppose that you could say that it was a day where I felt as though things were happening, and I was at the center of it all. Some of the day’s events were my doing, and some were just tangential activities that touched my life at one point. In the end, it left me feeling very appreciated, and it was a wonderful feeling to take with me to the States.
Ah, the States. Now that is another story.
Hey Juuuuuuuuulie! November 18, 2009
Posted by Earthdragonette in Student Moments.Tags: fall term, Japan, Japanese, Macho Man, Mary Sunshine, tatsuki's sister, The Awesome Vice Principal, the boss, The JTE, the policeman, The Savant, the student government president, third years
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So, this week (well, the first half of it at any rate), has turned out to be Dedicated to My Third Years. Wednesday’s memory reflects this theme, and so I get to feature all of our usual suspects. Additionally, we can probably add a few more to our growing Character List.
~So, let’s get started.~
* New Character: Tatsuki’s Sister
Tatsuski (not his real name) was a student that I taught for about two years. He was a second year when I arrived in Japan, and one of the more memorable ones to have come and gone. His English was one of the best in the school, and he had the most incorrigible, mischievous personalities I’ve ever come across. He was fond of putting together strange sentences using the day’s grammar point. For example, when we studied ~isn’t it? (It’s really hot today, isn’t it?), he came up with: I’m dead, aren’t I?
Anyway, his sister is two years younger than him, and although there are differences in their personalities, they resemble each other to a remarkable degree. Both are really hardcore kendo athletes, both enjoy English, both can’t stop talking or vital organs start to shut down… She’s on my list of Students I Especially Like right now because she gave a speech at the Culture Festival about how she wants to be an English teacher because I make the language look so cool. Did I also mention that she’s a natural politician? Anyway, she came up and talked to me about this before class today and it was a really cute conversation.
* The Boss wants to be a girl
Or, at least, that’s what he said when we split up into girls vs. boys teams to play Jeopardy. I have no idea why he felt this way, but then he proceeded to make a joke out of it for the entire class period. All I had to do was call him Ms. Boss, and he’d start to flutter his eyelashes and speak in a really high-pitched voice. In the States, no respectable adolescent dude would be caught dead pretending to be a girl. That’s just asking for grief. In Japan, though, they have some very different ideas about gender roles and behaviors, and so it was all just fun. I am easily amused; his antics made ME laugh and thus derailed class several times.
* Macho Man is Super Macho
He challenged me to an arm wrestling match after class today and I lost. -_-;; I think he’s been training for an upcoming track competition, whereas I have been dancing to Chris Brown and Jay Sean. I’m kind of happy that he won, though, because I think he can savor the victory more than I can. Macho Man is also hilarious. Purely, simply, and unabashedly hilarious. I recently taught him the extremely natural and youthful greeting of: “What’s up?” “Nothing much.” and we use it ALL THE TIME. He must’ve said it to me five times today.
* New Character: The Policeman
Also a third year! He is one of The Savant‘s best friends (although The Savant has recently made the claim that, “I don’t have any friends. I am mysterious. I make people happy. I am alone.” The Savant lies a lot.), and is probably one of the better kendo athletes in the prefecture. He wants to be a police officer when he grows up, hence the nickname.
The Policeman often makes me laugh because when he’s surprised in class, he will often blurt out random and hilarious English. Once, the students were given the task of memorizing the sentence, “I saw a lady at a restaurant who was touching her earlobe.” The JTE called on him to recite it, and he was so shocked at being picked that he instead gave us the sentence, “I saw a lady at a restaurant who was touching her people.” That made me happier than almost anything else ever.
Today, the sentence they had to recite was, “It’s important to give others both our time and skills.” He managed to say it without any problems, but when they were practicing, I taught him the phrase, “I have skills.” Or, perhaps, more appropriately, “I have skillz.” He liked it. A lot. For the rest of English class (and according to other teachers, for the rest of the day) he kept repeating it whenever he did something. Completed math test: “I have skillz.” Won a basketball game: “I have skillz.” Tracked the path of the sun: “I have skillz.”
The Policeman. Skillz. He has them.
*Mary Sunshine
In addition to almost falling asleep on me before class started (and stealing my scarf because she was cold), she’s asked me to teach her a dance like the one that I did at the Culture Festival. So, that’s what we started to do during lunch recess. The other students are curious – I can tell that some of the others want to learn, but they’re really hesitant and shy about it. I dream big, and so I kind of have hopes of starting a lunchtime dance group. I have no idea if this could actually happen, but I won’t know unless I try. At any rate, right now it’s me and Mary Sunshine, and I can say honestly that she has promise. I think we’ll be able to get a routine down by the end of December.
*The Student Government President
Chose yesterday to reiterate, in front of The Awesome (and Terrified) Vice Principal why I am an M in the S and M division of relationships as determined by the Japanese. I must remember to thank her for the sudden drop in dignity that I experienced. -_-
And last but certainly not least … The Savant
The Savant really is one of a kind. The degree to which we have been interacting this year has been rewarding, and although I don’t understand why this year I have earned his attention, I’m glad that he’s deciding to give it. We got into a really interesting conversation during cleaning time yesterday about Christmas traditions, where Christmas came from, and how it’s celebrated differently in Japan and the States. Then we got into a debate about why he’s not perfect. That really is the golden thread that runs through every conversation we have and gives substance to the tapestry of our interactions.
Aaaaand…. all of these varied and intense interactions with my third years came to a stunning conclusion during music class. My Japanese Sister’s computer has been acting strange, and so she asked if I could come by during the class and show the students a music video for The Beatles’s Hey Jude.
When I walked into the classroom? You guessed it. Everyone turned to the door and said, HEY JUUUUUUUUULIE!
Can’t you feel the love?
A beautiful and blinding morning
The world outside begins to breathe
This is my personal space, THAT is YOUR personal space… October 20, 2009
Posted by Earthdragonette in Student Moments.Tags: elementary students, fall semester, hannah montana, Japan, personal space, The Awesome Vice Principal
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My Students: Yes, Julie, and we also want YOUR personal space.
This is the theme of this week, as it would seem. Regardless of national law, natural law, or just plain personal preference, I cannot seem to keep these children from holding my hands, hugging my arms, jumping on my back, or playing with my hair. This is normal for the elementary school students, but this week it’s the middle school where the offenders are hiding out. The most troublesome of the bunch is Hannah Montana, who I am going to psychologically terrorize (in a totally safe and legal way) if she doesn’t stop tickling me. -_-;;
Although Tuesday, this was kind of entertaining. During lunch time, Hannah Montana and Co. came to see me, and we decided to hang out on these benches near the school entrance and talk. This eventually turned into a paper-rock-scissors tournament, where we got into two lines and the people at the front of the lines paper-rock-scissors. The winner got to stay, and the loser went to the back of her line. Whenever I was at the front, I’d usually make my opponent answer an English question as well.
Violation of personal boundaries came about because whenever Hannah Montana was behind me, she draped herself over my back, played with my hair, and occasionally tried to tickle me. Occasionally the girls would switch which team they were on, and I soon got this treatment from all of them. Except for the tickling – only Hannah Montana is foolish gutsy enough to do that.
This group of first years is so funny, because whereas last year’s batch was very focused on Becoming Junior High School Students Very Quickly, this group is really still interested in being Elementary Students. With a few exceptions, they’re not interested in dating, they still like to play sports and color, and they would really prefer having a 20 minute recess in the mornings.
It was a very cute, simple, and fun lunch break. I liked it. Unfortunately, The Awesome Vice Principal wasn’t quite so enthusiastic about our jovial games. In retrospect, we were being pretty loud, and I got kind of a grumpy look when I returned to the teacher’s room after the bell had rung.
Still, I’m not really feeling all that contrite about it. Children are loud, giggly, touchaholic beings. It’s part of their charm, and one of the reasons that I like them so much – they’re always reacting, always moving, always having opinions, always searching.
It is, essentially, why I like my job. ^o^
You’re alive, said the Maker
And he smiled at the Aardvark…
Where I Intended to Be 